Substitute Cristiana Girelli header helped Italy triumph 1-0 against Argentina in an electric Group G match of the FIFA Women's World Cup, here at Eden Park on Monday.
It looked for a moment as if the game would end scoreless before the veteran substitute came to the rescue for Italy and scored less than four minutes after entering play to wrap up the win.
Girelli became the first player to score in two editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup for Italy. She scored a hat-trick in the 2019 finals against Jamaica.
The game started at an electric pace. Argentina fired the first warning shot, an acrobatic effort from Mariana Lorroquette only just high and wide of the goal-frame.
Italy briefly thought that they opened the scoring when Arianna Caruso was able to successfully turn and shoot from the edge of the penalty area. Then, It was Valentina Giacinti's turn to be disappointed later in the half. Her tidy finish was overturned after she was adjudged to be standing in an offside position when 16-year-old Giulia Dragoni released the ball.
The game ebbed and flowed after the break, neither team able to get the upper hand, despite plenty of opportunities. Then, less than four minutes after entering the fray, Girelli leapt highest to meet a floated Lisa Boattin cross and headed home the winner for Italy.
Argentina's late push was not enough, and it was Milena Bertolini's side who came away with maximum points.
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